During the Second Age, however, these forests were decimated by the Númenóreans in their greed for ship-building timber, before being almost completely burnt down by the forces of Sauron during the ensuing war in Eriador.[2]

By the latter half of the Second Age, the surviving natives of Minhiriath had retreated either north to Bree, or hidden themselves in Eryn Vorn.[2]

Eryn Vorn was probably all that remained of the vast forests in Minhiriath for long years thereafter, but by the end of the Third Age, scattered woodlands had reappeared in much of the rest of Minhiriath.

From T.A.861, Eryn Vorn nominally formed a part of Cardolan. The people of Cardolan were almost completely destroyed by the Great Plague a few centuries later, although it is not known how this affected Eryn Vorn.

It is probable that people remained hidden in Eryn Vorn by the Third Age, for although it is clearly recorded that no permanent settlements of Men existed anywhere west of Bree by the late Third Age,[3] it is also said that "a few secretive hunter-folk lived in the woods" of Minhiriath at the time of the War of the Ring. These people we are told were afraid to cross the river Baranduin because the Elves dwelt beyond it.[2][note 1]

Etymology

Eryn Vorn is Sindarin and has been given the translation "Blackwood". The name consists of eryn ("wood") and vorn ("dark"),[1] the latter being the lenited form of morn.[4]

The name Eryn Vorn first appeared on Pauline Baynes's Map of Middle-earth (1970), for which Tolkien had supplied notes on additional names. The first printing of the map wrongly has Erin Voru.[1]